I think the name says it all. Bring a bottle of vodka and/or wine and leave the bullshit, ignorance, and machismo at the door. This is just a place for me to rant, show my likes and dislikes and hopefully strike up some dialogs.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Saturday, September 13, 2008

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska - Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's assertion that she believes humans contribute to global warming — made in her first major interview since joining the Republican ticket — is more definitive than her previous statements.ADVERTISEMENT

Palin said she didn't disagree with scientists that "man's activities" could be contributing to the problem.

"Show me where I have ever said that there's absolute proof that nothing that man has ever conducted or engaged in has had any effect or no effect on climate change," Palin told ABC News in an interview broadcast Thursday and Friday. "I have not said that."

However, in the past Palin has expressed doubts about the connection between emissions from human activities and global warming. She told the Internet news site Newsmax last month, "A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. ... I'm not one, though, who would attribute it to being man-made."

In a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne in December 2006 about listing the polar bear as a threatened species, Palin questioned what human activities could be regulated to help the bear.

"When a species' habitat (in this case, sea ice) is declining due to climate change, but there are no discrete human activities that can be regulated or modified to effect change, what do you do?" she wrote.

In an interview with the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner within the last year, Palin said: "I'm not an Al Gore, doom-and-gloom environmentalist blaming the changes in our climate on human activity."

Republican presidential candidate John McCain, a convert to the cause of fighting global warming, has said humans have caused climate change and he has proposed capping the greenhouse gases blamed for the problem.

In the ABC interview, Palin said she believes that "man's activities certainly can be contributing to the issue of global warming, climate change. ... Regardless, though, of the reason for climate change, whether it's entirely, wholly caused by man's activities or is part of the cyclical nature of our planet — the warming and the cooling trends — regardless of that, John McCain and I agree that we gotta do something about it."

Questions about Palin's knowledge of foreign policy dominated the interview with ABC's Charles Gibson. Palin repeated her earlier assertions that she's ready to be president if called upon, yet sidestepped questions on whether she had the national security credentials needed to be commander in chief.

McCain has defended his running mate's qualifications, citing her command of the Alaska National Guard and Alaska's proximity to Russia.

Pressed about what insights into recent Russian actions she gained by living in Alaska, Palin told Gibson, "They're our next-door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska."

Palin, 44, has been Alaska's governor for less than two years and before that was a small-town mayor. Asked whether those were sufficient credentials, Palin said: "It is about reform of government and it's about putting government back on the side of the people, and that has much to do with foreign policy and national security issues."

She said she brings expertise in the effort to make the country energy independent as a former chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

Palin said that other than a trip to visit soldiers in Kuwait and Germany last year, her only other foreign travel was to Mexico and Canada. She also:

_Appeared unsure of the Bush doctrine, which President Bush laid out in a West Point speech in June 2002. Asked whether she agreed with that, Palin said: "In what respect, Charlie?" Gibson pressed her for an interpretation of it. She said: "His world view."

The doctrine essentially holds that the U.S. must help spread democracy to stop terrorism and will act pre-emptively to stop potential foes.

"I believe that what President Bush has attempted to do is rid this world of Islamic extremism, terrorists who are hell bent on destroying our nation," Palin said, though she added "there have been mistakes made."

Pressed repeatedly on whether the United States could attack terrorist hideouts in Pakistan without the country's permission, she said: "If there is legitimate and enough intelligence that tells us that a strike is imminent against American people, we have every right to defend our country. In fact, the president has the obligation, the duty to defend."

_Said "we've got to put the pressure on Iran" and its nuclear program. Asked three times what her position would be if Israel felt threatened enough to attack Iranian nuclear facilities, Palin repeatedly said the United States shouldn't "second guess" Israel's steps to secure itself.

_Called for Georgia and the Ukraine to be included in NATO, a treaty that requires the U.S. to defend them militarily. She also said Russia's attack into Georgia last month was "unprovoked." Asked to clarify that she'd support going to war over Georgia, she said: "Perhaps so."

On the environment, Palin said she disagreed with McCain's position against oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

"We'll agree to disagree," she said, "but I'm gonna keep pushing that and I think eventually we're all gonna come together on that one."

At first I thought Sarah Palin was some kind of Republican pandering – a misguided attempt to woo Hillary voters over to the dark side, as if they believed women voters were so stupid that they would vote for anyone in skirt, but now I see that she is much, much worse.

I have nothing against hockey moms – I just don't want to be one. If Sarah Palin had her way, she would take away that right not to be a mom. She wants to outlaw abortion – so to call her a feminist is as laughable as calling evangelicals 'Christians.' They shouldn't have the right to call themselves Christian, for they have no Christ-like attributes. I am a feminist and a Christian – and when I see Sarah Palin – I see neither. And it is official. She is evil. I saw on Violet Blue's awesome blog that Sarah Palin forced rape victims to pay for their own forensic exams.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Matthew Mitcham looks like a sponsor's dream: an Olympic gold medal, undeniably articulate and good looking.

Oh, and he's openly gay. Indeed he was reportedly the only gay in the (Olympic) village.

Ian Thorpe made millions in sponsorship but spent years avoiding the much-conjectured subject of his sexuality.

Mitcham publicly outed himself long before Beijing. As a result some marketers say Mitcham's face may never grace a box of children's breakfast cereal as Thorpe's did.

Last week ..NBC apologised amid claims of homophobia after failing to comment on Mitcham's boyfriend, ..as it did for partners of heterosexual competitors. NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel said "we missed the opportunity to tell Matthew Mitcham's story".

Monday, September 08, 2008

As good as his speech was, he told me very little of what he actually plans to do and how he plans to do it. Well that and he is stealing the whole "Change" idea from someone else. Looks like someone got a big makeover. Imagine that.

FactChecking McCainSeptember 5, 2008He made some flubs in accepting the nomination.SummaryWe checked the accuracy of McCain’s speech accepting the Republican nomination and noted the following:

* McCain claimed that Obama’s health care plan would "force small businesses to cut jobs" and would put "a bureaucrat ... between you and your doctor." In fact, the plan exempts small businesses, and those who have insurance now could keep the coverage they have.

* McCain attacked Obama for voting for "corporate welfare" for oil companies. In fact, the bill Obama voted for raised taxes on oil companies by $300 million over 11 years while providing $5.8 billion in subsidies for renewable energy, energy efficiency and alternative fuels.

* McCain said oil imports send "$700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much." But the U.S. is on track to import a total of only $536 billion worth of oil at current prices, and close to a third of that comes from Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

* He promised to increase use of "wind, tide [and] solar" energy, though his actual energy plan contains no new money for renewable energy. He has said elsewhere that renewable sources won’t produce as much as people think.

* He called for "reducing government spending and getting rid of failed programs," but as in the past failed to cite a single program that he would eliminate or reduce.

* He said Obama would "close" markets to trade. In fact, Obama, though he once said he wanted to "renegotiate" the North American Free Trade Agreement, now says he simply wants to try to strengthen environmental and labor provisions in it.

AnalysisSen. John McCain's acceptance speech to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul on Sept. 4 was couched more in generalities than in specifics, offering fewer factual claims to check than we found in other speeches to the gathering. But we found some instances where the nominee strained the truth.

Sunday, September 07, 2008

My favorite crazy Japanese band is releasing a new album and headed back to America!!Even better is that they get to headline their own show this time and not only play a thirty minute set because they are on tour with 5 other bands. Here are new new videos they have released from their upcoming album "We Ate The Machine," in stores Sept 30th. They will be hitting Dallas October 24th!!! Oh, look for the patented "Shimmy" dance in their new video "Pretty Good."

This piece is from Time magazine and addresses the issue of Sarah Palin's weight in drawing the Conservative Christian Right and scaring away the more moderate voters. Some good points. I think she was perfect for that "injection" of excitement into his campaign, but really, she is not really that good of a choice to win the nomination of presidency. Anything Republicans had leveled against Hilary and/or Obama is coming back at them with Palin and they are screaming bloody murder.Are Evangelicals Really Sold on Palin?Saturday, Sep. 06, 2008 By AMY SULLIVAN

Sure, John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin to be his running mate fully consumed a GOP convention that was supposed to be focused on thumping Barack Obama over the head. And it may have raised questions about McCain's own judgment and seriousness. But, as we have been told ad nauseam since the surprise choice was announced last Friday, Palin has already provided one unquestionable, invaluable assist to the Republican campaign: with one sweep of her perfectly manicured hand, she has supposedly erased McCain's Evangelical problem and united the base that proved so key to George W. Bush's victory in 2004. (See photos of Sarah Palin here.)Related ArticlesSarah Palin: A Frontier Mom's Roots

To a degree, that's true. Palin's pro-life credentials are impeccable — she opposes abortion in all circumstances, even in cases of rape and incest, except when a delivery will result in death. And her strong, open religious faith will make her the perfect person to reach out to conservative Evangelicals, who still don't fully trust the Republican nominee. But McCain and his aides may not want to say hallelujah just yet. While Palin is inspiring rhapsodies from the lions of the Christian right, her appeal to more moderate and younger Evangelicals — as well as independent swing voters — may be limited.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

GOP Convention Spin, Part IISeptember 4, 2008Palin trips up on her facts, and Giuliani and Huckabee have their own stumbles on Night 3 of the Republican confab.SummarySarah Palin’s much-awaited speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night may have shown she could play the role of attack dog, but it also showed her to be short on facts when it came to touting her own record and going after Obama’s.

We found Rudy Giuliani, who introduced her, to be as factually challenged as he sometimes was back when he was in the race. But Mike Huckabee may have laid the biggest egg of all.

* Palin may have said “Thanks, but no thanks” on the Bridge to Nowhere, though not until Congress had pretty much killed it already. But that was a sharp turnaround from the position she took during her gubernatorial campaign, and the town where she was mayor received lots of earmarks during her tenure.

* Palin’s accusation that Obama hasn’t authored “a single major law or even a reform” in the U.S. Senate or the Illinois Senate is simply not a fair assessment. Obama has helped push through major ethics reforms in both bodies, for example.

* The Alaska governor avoided some of McCain’s false claims about Obama’s tax program – but her attacks still failed to give the whole story.

* Giuliani distorted the time line and substance of Obama’s statements about the conflict between Russia and Georgia. In fact, there was much less difference between his statements and those of McCain than Giuliani would have had us believe.

* Giuliani also said McCain had been a fighter pilot. Actually, McCain’s plane was the A-4 Skyhawk, a small bomber. It was the only plane he trained in or flew in combat, according to McCain’s own memoir.

* Finally, Huckabee told conventioneers and TV viewers that Palin got more votes when she ran for mayor of Wasilla than Biden did running for president. Not even close. The tally: Biden, 79,754, despite withdrawing from the race after the Iowa caucuses. Palin, 909 in her 1999 race, 651 in 1996.

Friday, September 05, 2008

So during the convention we heard just how tough, yet how much of a family orientated person Mrs. Palin is. Her rosy children joined her on stage (yes I think her oldest son is hot), and she eschewed the image of a person that will fight for the American family. The problem I have with her, like so many Conservative Christians, is their idea of what the American family should look like and how it should be defined. Thank you to alternative media sources such as Moveon.org to put out some info on the RNC's new "superstar" that shows us some of her more "family orientated" views. Segments of this was taken from a newsletter I received.

Dear MoveOn member,

Did you watch Sarah Palin's speech last night? The speech told us a lot about her.

It told us that she can distort the facts and deliver mean-spirited zingers with the best of them. It told us that if Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter ever need a stand-in, she'd be a great pick.

It told us that she can be condescending and dismissive of the real work Barack Obama did helping real people on the South Side of Chicago. It told us that she can uphold the long Republican tradition of lying about Democratic tax cuts—even though Obama's plan would give Americans a bigger break than McCain's.

But the speech—written by one of President Bush's speechwriters—didn't tell us the truth about Sarah Palin's extremist positions. And the more that people know her far-right views, the less they support her. (There's a partial list below.)...

Palin's speech and the reaction to it also made clear why McCain picked her. It wasn't a decision about who's most qualified to serve a heart-beat away from the presidency—it was a political decision about pleasing the far-right base of the Republican party...

* Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." 1, 2 * Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'" 3 * Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact.4 * Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade." 5 * Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. 6 * Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest. 7 * Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches. 8 * As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor." 9 * She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." 10

And in case you didn't know, those numbers are for the references from which they cited this information which I will be more than happy to send you the links.And always for a good laugh, John Stewart of The Daily Show has his own take.

Thursday, September 04, 2008

This piece is from Mother Jones, which actually gives you alternative news to the mainstream, rating driven networks.

McCain: Contradicting His Record on Gay Rights

John McCain is going on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" today to express moderate support for same-sex couples. He urges gay couples to enter "legal agreements" for the purposes of "insurance and other areas, decision that have to be made." You can see McCain's comments and Ellen's eloquence on the issue here:

, which, according to the proposition's website, sought to ban not only gay marriage and but also "giving recognition or benefits to marriage counterfeits, like 'civil unions' or 'domestic partnerships.'" That would suggest McCain's record doesn't match his words. Maybe his thinking has evolved in two years?

While he'd like you to believe he's a moderate, at the end of the day Sen. McCain marches in lockstep with the anti-GLBT right wing.

* His public support for writing discrimination into the California constitution – a measure opposed by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger – puts him among company like Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, and their bigoted buddies.

* He believes same-sex couples should never be allowed to adopt children.

* He even appeared in a television ad for the 2006 Arizona ballot measure that would have denied marriage and domestic partnership benefits to all Arizona couples.

* And he hasn't even ruled out writing discrimination into the U.S. Constitution with an anti-marriage amendment. At a recent forum at Saddleback Church he said:

"...if a federal court decided that my state of Arizona had to observe what the state of Massachusetts decided, then I would favor a constitutional amendment."

Let's get that straight. In other words, he only supports a Constitutional amendment...if he really wants one? McCain dug himself even deeper when he tried to backtrack a few minutes later:

We have to recognize the unique status of marriage between man and woman...doesn't mean that [GLBT] people can't enter into legal agreements. That doesn't mean that they don't have the rights of all citizens. I'm not saying that.

Actually, that's exactly what it means, Senator. If GLBT Americans don't have marriage rights then they don't have "the rights of all citizens" – simple as that.

Part of the key to winning a debate is knowing what is factual and what is not. So believe me when I say I read and analyze what Obama has to say as well. I watched his acceptance speech and was disappointed in how little he mentioned more social issues such as gay marriage and abortion (both admittedly very controversial and could easily sway votes). But I watched Palin and will watch McCain tonight to see what they have to say concerning these issues very dear to me (note, even with her strong stances of being anti-choice, and against gay marriage, Palin did not mention these issues once in her speech, OUTRIGHT. Omission speaks volumes as well.) In the meantime, here are some facts stretched by Obama concerning McCain...

FactChecking ObamaAugust 29, 2008He stuck to the facts, except when he stretched them.SummaryWe checked the accuracy of Obama's speech accepting the Democratic nomination, and noted the following:

* Obama said he could “pay for every dime” of his spending and tax cut proposals “by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens.” That’s wrong – his proposed tax increases on upper-income individuals are key components of paying for his program, as well. And his plan, like McCain’s, would leave the U.S. facing big budget deficits, according to independent experts.

* He twisted McCain’s words about Afghanistan, saying, “When John McCain said we could just 'muddle through' in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources.” Actually, McCain said in 2003 we “may” muddle through, and he recently also called for more troops there.

* He said McCain would fail to lower taxes for 100 million Americans while his own plan would cut taxes for 95 percent of “working” families. But an independent analysis puts the number who would see no benefit from McCain’s plan at 66 million and finds that Obama’s plan would benefit 81 percent of all households when retirees and those without children are figured in.

* Obama asked why McCain would "define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year"? Actually, McCain meant that comment as a joke, getting a laugh and following up by saying, "But seriously ..."

* Obama noted that McCain’s health care plan would "tax people’s benefits" but didn’t say that it also would provide up to a $5,000 tax credit for families.

* He said McCain, far from being a maverick who’s "broken with his party," has voted to support Bush policies 90 percent of the time. True enough, but by the same measure Obama has voted with fellow Democrats in the Senate 97 percent of the time.

* Obama said "average family income" went down $2,000 under Bush, which isn't correct. An aide said he was really talking only about "working" families and not retired couples. And – math teachers, please note – he meant median (or midpoint) and not really the mean or average. Median family income actually has inched up slightly under Bush.

SummaryMcCain's campaign launched a TV ad touting his running mate, Palin, and offering a comparison to Obama. Some of its claims are off the mark:

It says Obama "gave big oil billions in subsidies and giveaways," citing his votes for a 2005 energy bill. But the bill slightly raised taxes on the oil industry overall.

The ad plucked a positive blurb about Palin from an Associated Press article that, in fact, was very much a mixed review. The AP said she "brings an ethical shadow to the [Republican] ticket," for example.

The ad says Obama is the "most liberal" Senator. But the National Journal rated him the 16th most liberal in his first year and the 10th most liberal in his second. It rated his votes "most liberal" only in 2007, when he was busy campaigning and missed one-third of the votes on which the rating is based.

Unluckily, most of political ads from the candidates this presidential election will be viewed and believed with little critical analysis by either side. Major news stations, according to most people are slanted, so they choose to believe what they want to and discredit the rest regardless of what is presented. Hence, that is why I like to refer to such organizations as Factcheck.org. They get rid of the spin, from either side and try as best as they can to present the facts. Non-partisan, they just wish for the American democracy to work as well as it can with the correct information. That is after all, how a democracy works. Check out one of their latest web videos on some recent attacks by either side. And please quit trying to debate me with thirty second sound bites which just make you look uneducated.